Atom Araullo breaks silence on rift with Mike de Leon

MANILA, Philippines — “Citizen Jake” star Atom Araullo finally broke his silence as he addressed the controversial remarks made by director Mike de Leon.

In a lengthy Facebook post, Atom began his statement by thanking fans who supported the controversial movie.

“Despite the inherent challenges of promoting an independent movie that deals with a controversial theme, I am humbled by the strong response to the film, good or bad. It was the result of more than a year of hard work by a resilient, dedicated, and talented team,” the Kapuso reporter wrote.

However, he said he is sad to find himself “in the middle of a minor controversy just as Citizen Jake was released to a wider audience last week.”

He added that he kept mum because the movie was still in cinemas and he doesn’t want to distract the film or be accused of gimmickry to promote it. 

Breaking his silence after director Mike posted a controversial statement on Facebook last week, Atom said the director made hurtful remarks about his career as a journalist which has nothing to do with the film. 

“All I can say is that I have never made any claims about the quality of my output or my stature in the media industry. To do so would be futile and obscene. I just aim to do my best like everyone else, always acknowledging that one continues to learn and improve every day,” the reporter said.

Atom said that he did not attack Mike’s reputation the way the director did to him. He noted that he needed to explain his side because of the director’s tirade. 

“It was only the latest in a string of unprovoked, irrational, almost random tantrums that I had to endure during the making of this film, determined as I was to see it through. It had a profound effect on me, and to be honest, made it that much harder to perform my duties in the movie,” he wrote.  

“Mike is a deeply troubled person. The kindest thing I can say about him is that he needs help, patience, and understanding as he wrestles with his personal demons. But while he has certainly tested the limits of my endurance, I can rest easy knowing that I worked hard, behaved professionally, and did all to the best of my abilities at the time the film was made,” he added.

But Atom said he is hopes that Mike would remain productive after the movie and would still produce films that will rouse the public’s consciousness because he believes his contribution to Philippine cinema is unquestionable.

“I am still grateful for the opportunity to have worked on this film, now that I close this chapter of my life,” Atom wrote.

'Stop pretending'

Meanwhile, Mike quickly answered Atom’s Facebook post by airing his side on the same social media site. He thanked Atom for finally breaking his silence.

The director admitted that many of the things which Atom said were true such as him being a "deeply troubled" person. But the actor-reporter forgot to mention few important events, according to Mike.

“When we were shooting the last sequence with Teroy, you unexpectedly ignored my direction and did something that was not rehearsed nor agreed upon. Many people were witness to this. The following day, I told you that never in my career as a director has any actor disrespected me as much as you did. Then I told you that if you wanted to direct yourself, then by all means do it. You can overact all you want. I will just shoot whatever you wish to do and direct the other actors in the scene," Mike wrote.

“Then you went into a meandering explanation about why you did it without really saying anything, not even apologizing. Then i said 'Bakit ganyan ka, bakit ba ang yabang mo? Bakit ba ang tingin mo sa sarili mo you're better than everyone else.' And you said: 'No one has ever told me that before.' So I concluded by saying 'Well, it's about time somebody did. As an actor, you're ok pero marami ka pang kakaining bigas,' the director added.

He also questioned Atom’s empathy saying how can he become a journalist if he lacks the ability to understand people’s problem because in his case “nobody is more important to Atom Araullo than Atom Araullo.” 

The director also hit Atom for exploiting Marawi evacuees through his commercial for a fast food chain.

“E wala ka pa namang real accomplishments except being the famous boy in the rain who braved the wrath of Yolanda, an unrelatable documentary on climate change shot in Scandinavia, and of course, Umagang Kay Ganda,” Mike said. 

“I may have my demons to deal with but you have yours too, my friend. So accept that you are a celebrity and don't use the noble profession of journalism to hide your inadequacies as a human being,” the director added.

In closing his statement, Mike said he will make no excuse that he’s a troubled person but he asked Atom to accept the reality and stop pretending.

“Please be kind to your soul and accept the reality – stop pretending to want to embrace the universe, when all the time, you only want to embrace yourself. This is called narcissism,” the director wrote.